LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2455, 7 May 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Prime Minister informed a reporter yesterday afternoon that ho had not vet received the report of the Foodstuffs Commission. -

The war spirit is leading to a splendid revival of rilie shooting, and incidentally an appreciable increase in the number of vide clubs in New Zealand. In the "Gazette," which came out last evening, the services of the Enfield (Otago), Kinopaku (Kawhia), and C Squadron of the Poverty Bay Legion of Frontiersmen Defence Rifle Clubs have been accepted by His Excellency the Governor.

According to -a return published in the latest "Gazette" by the Government Statistician, the estimated population of the Dominion of Now Zealand on March 31 was 1,163,028. (including the population'of the Cook Group ana other islands attaolied to New Zealand). Exclusive of the Maoris and Island population, the estimated population was 1,100,586. The increase during the March quarter by births over deaths was 4638, whilst 46 more people emigrated from than immigrated to New. Zealand.

Mr. Robert Darroch, headmaster of tho Roseneath School, on behalf of the committee, extends a hearty invitation to all Belgians resident in Wellington to be preseiit at the hoisting of the Belgian flag by Miss Beatrice Day at 3 o'clock this afternoon in tho school grounds.

The sound of breaking glass indicated something unusual at the Kaikorai Presbyterian Sunday School on Sunday afternoon (says the "Otago Daily Times"), but it proved to only tho breaking of four novel money boxes in the shape of lemonade bottles (with a side slot for the insertion of. the coins) which had been brought by a Ijttlo lad who had collected for the Belgian poor for some weeks the stray coins of travellers on his father's ferry boat. Tho wee boy of three summers for days and days carried his money bottle with the Allies' flags waving from the cork stopper among the passengers, with the result that it yielded no fewer than 360 pennies, 80 threepenny-pieces, and other coins, making a total of £3 lis. 3d. to go to the Belgian Fund. The school was greatly interested in the opening of the bottles, and the counting of the coins, and some of tho scholars promised to start collecting for the same object. Unfortunately seme sneak thief stole from the boat one of the boys' store of five bottles, and this considerably reduced his noble effort.

Tho Minister of Defence (tTie Hon. Jas. Allen) has received an Interesting souvenir from Egypt, in the sliapo of tho menu of a farewell dinner given in the Red Sea on March 24 to the officers of the Maori , Contingent, ou H.M.N.Z.T.S. No. 20.

Tho Minister of Defence stated to a reporter yesterday that the erection of further hutments at Trentham for the troops was to ha gone on. with.

A valuable piece of greenstone, which has a most interesting history, has been forwarded by Mr. Ingham Stephens to Mr. Robert Burns, Acting-Consul for Belgium (says the Auckland "Herald"), for sale on behalf of the Belgian Fund. Just before the fight at Orakau, during the Waikato War, the Mounted Defence Force, under Colonel _ Nixon, Major Walmsley, and Captain Hutton, surrounded a Maori wnare at Rangiwahia, containing 18 Maoris. Colonel Nixon got off his horse, and, carrying a white flag, advanced, towards the whare, 1 in order to advise the Maoris to surrender. He was shot by one of the inmates, and afterwards died of his wounds. The troopers immediately got off their horses and set fire to the roof of the whare. Only one Maori came out, and he was immediately riddled with bullets. The others were all burned to death, and the greenstone was taken out of the ear of one of them. It was later given to Mr. Ingham Stephens by Mr. Peter Vosper, one of the troopers. A monument in memory of the late Colonel Nixon was afterwards erected at the junction of the Tamaki and Mangere Roads, just above the Tamaki Bridge, at Otahuhu.

I Mr. C. F. Pulley, the contractor for tho harbour works at Wairoa, in conversation with a Napier "Herald" representative, stated that Wairoa was on the eve of a marvellous ohange. The works only want a few fine adjustments and a little dredging to be done to scivt Wairoa _an exceptionally fine harbour. Previously the river mouth opened out into a wide expanse of water, but now two walls have been built out to tho sea, converging from 4000 ft. to 400 ft. In Mr. Pulley's opinion. these walls should taken a little further out to sea, and a channel dredaed down between the walls. _ The spoil could bo thrown up over the walls, and it would help to reclaim the land on either side. The walls have been so far successful already that this year was the first time that the Wairoa wool has been in time for tho sales at Naoior. "I honestly think," concluded Mr. Pulley, "that a really fine harbour will soon be made at Wairoa. It will be as good as will bo found anyvTfere."

"The Danes have taught the farmer not only how to convert much of his manual operations into a mechanical industry, but also tho great'value of co-operation in regard to such," remarked Mr. A. R. Sonnett, organiser for the Board of Trade and Industries for Now Zealand, in a discourse at a meeting of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Denmark, he added, was a small kingdom of instensive culture, and.busv. concentrated dairying industries. Now Zealand was a vast dominion of sparse, and more or less natural cultivation. Mr. Sennett thought there was great scope for co-operation in industries not wholly confined to dairying. Writing to a frieud in Palmcrstcn North, a Leeds factory worker states that he and his fellow-workers are forbidden hv tho authorities to join tho Army, as they are at present more urgently required to make special machinery for tho manufacture of cartridges, shells, riHes, guns, etc. Two men did enlist without the firm's permission, Imt when it was founc out tlie.y were sent back to work.

The Minister of Dcfence stated yesterday that as from May 1 British currency had displaced German currency in .Samoa. The chance, he said, was a step towards tlie Anglicising of the island. Gorman notes and coin no longer hold good, but they are replaced by British notes, gold and silver and copper, and also postal orders. If anybody desires to send money to a friend in Samoa ho <an do so through the New Zealand Post Office. A branch of the Bank of New Zealand has also been established at Sarnoiv

J Some time ago au appeal for £75,000 per month from Australia and New | land was made by the Belgian Commis- [ siou in England, and it was decided nV^/wi 6 *' ea l an d should contribute £10,000 per month, the Government giving per month, and a subsidy of for £1 up to £5000 on donations made by the public. An official statement from the Treasury published in ihe Dominion* yesterday showed that New Zealand's contribution for April oame to £19,033 16s. 6d. for the Belgian Belief Fund. A reporter asked the Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) yesterday if it was intended to giro monthly any excess of the £15,000 docided on as our share. Mr. Allen replied that such was the intention. Some districts had donated more than the share apportioned to them, and had asked that it should be sent on. The Government bad i.o objection to this, but he pointed out they could not give moro than the £5000 nonthly donation and the subsidy up to £5000 It was very satisfactory, he added, that the contributions had been so generous.

Private Riclgivay, of Otago, who recently made a statement to our special correspondent at Napier concerning the alleged canteen scandals, and the report that a New Zealander was murdered in Egypt, made a further statement yesterday in reply to Mr. Allen's comments. Private Ridgway states that he can prove that certain men bought gift articles. His foundation for his statement regarding the alleged murder was that the sergeant of the euard told him he had seen the mail bro'deht m.

A fas on bachelors, which has been advocated, half seriously, for half a century, tho other day came within the sphere of practical politics (says the Melbourne "Argus"). Mr. Sharp©, of Queensland, who is not a bachelor, suggested the impost, and it was debated at some length. Mr. Sh&rpo demonstrated that an 8 per cent, tax upon all bachelors' incomes exceeding £200 a I year would produce £2,000,000. It would be more likely to produce a million benedicts. Mr'. Sharps has a very svrametrical 6chemo in his mind. The bachelor, he assumes, supports no children ; he ought to support someone; therefore the best use to make of him is to compel him to support pensioners. For Mr. Sharne's idea is to raise money for pensions. Womankind will welcome a Bill embodying the soheme, but injustice lurks beneath it. Is the man who has pleaded year in and year out with an obdurate woman, who has worn himself to a shadow by nightly walking home after the last train, to be taxed simply because the woman is whimsical? Why not tax, also, the whimsical woman?

Probably the most surprised man in South Canterbury on Saturday was one who met a shooting party in a motoroar as it was returning to Timaru from the Hook (savs the "Herald")- The car party included one of the champion shots of New Zealand, though the man. on the roadside did not know that, nor had he any reason to suppose that there was a loaded gun in the car ready for use at short notice. As the car travelling at about 20 miles an hour was passing the man referred to, the champion marksman, shouted out in fun: _iiro\v up your hat." To his surprise the man did precisely as he was told, sending his hat, an almost new. felt one, spinning high in the air, never dreaming, presumably, that anything more would happen. Quick as lightning the man in th 6 car fired, and tne look of bewildered astonishment on the face of the owner of the hat can be better imagined than described when he saw tbo crown Bhot clean out of his hat, and the brim riddled beyond repair. The car did not stop, but the shooting champion, when he saw what he haa done, throw his own hat to the astonished man on the roadside.

In answer to a question yesterday, the Minister of Defence said that undoubtedly there would be an inquiry, into tho escape ,of the German prisoners from Somes Island, and no donbt stricter precautions would be taken, in. tJie future to prevent further attempts being made.

"Miramar has go:ie ahead a. little too much," said Mr. W. H. P. Barber, 'at a social function given by the Mayor of Miramar (Mr. F. Townsend) on Wednesday. "What it wants is population. Granted this, it will go ahead properly."

The Prime Minister, in acknowledging a cheque for £32 lis. 6d., representing the contribution of thi Levin School children to the Belgian Belief Fund, says:—"l will be glad if you will express to the staff and to the children the Government's appreciation of the generous spirit which has resulted in the contribution of bo useful a sum to the fund."

Mr. H. G. Hill (chairman of the Patriotic Society) informed a reporter last evening, that it_ had been decided to alter the disposition of twenty-five pec cent, of the proceeds of the forthcoming carnival. In 4 he first instance it was proposed to hand over this amount For the benefit of the Base Hospital at Ti'entham, but it has since been represented to the committee of the society that a more urgent need exists, and it has been, decided to allocate 'the twenty-five per cent, to the St. John. Ambulance Brigade in aid of Red Gross work on behalf of soldiers and sailors on active service.

A debate is to take place between tha Social Democratic Party and the University Debating Society, in the Victoria College gymnasium on Saturday evening. The first debate of this kind took place last year, when Messrs. E, Tregear end J. Eobertson •epresetned the Social De. mocratio Party. This year the party's representatives are Messrs. H. E. Holland and P. Fraser. Messrs, A. B. Siev. wright and W. J. 'JPEldowney will speaK on'behalf of Victoria College. The mo. tion for discussion is: "That the progress of society depends on the triumph of So. cial Democracy."